US-based Primo Connect in talks with mobile phone carriers to tap local market

Primo aims to provide an alternative to expensive calling plans. It competes with international calling players including WhatsApp and Viber.Shashwati Shankar | ET Bureau | April 25, 2016, 08:10 IST

US-based Primo Connect, which created the messaging and calling mobile application Primo, is in talks with Indian mobile phone carriers to better tap the local market which now accounts for 10% of its user base.

Primo aims to provide an alternative to expensive calling plans. It competes with international messaging and calling players including WhatsApp and Viber.

The app, which is in its beta phase, claims to have won over 50,000 subscribers in the first three months of launch.

The company’s focus on India strengthened after its subscriber base indicated Indian migrant workers in locations like Saudi Arabia were using the app to connect with families in India.

"About 10% of our user base is in India, another 60% of our base are NRIs located in the Persian Gulf region. This is noted from the calling activity from that base to India," said Chris Furlong, cofounder of Primo. "With 16-million Indians residing outside India, we are focused on creating a carrier that is capable of communication between the mobile phone network and apps."

Primo, which was incubated by sister company US mobile carrier Ultra Mobile, is introduced as an extension of Ultra’s international calling service. In other markets, like India, China and Europe the company plans to employ a mix of paid, freemium and sponsorship-based calling plans.

The startup claims it differentiates itself through calling without disturbances, with plans of introducing alternate calling.

According to Furlong, Primo is in partnership talks with Indian mobile phone carriers, currently focusing on a cost effective or free way to use the app.

He did not give names of the companies Primo is negotiating with.

"Our focus is on quality voice calling, connecting people across borders and networks. In time we will have full feature parity with services that could include alternate ways of making calls through chatbots to extending the role of the carrier past a phone service to social media, apps or from your SIM card," Furlong said.

Since its launch in January 2015, the startup claims to have received interest from individual investors offering over $3.5 million.